With less than a month left until the start of the NFL regular season, the Buffalo Bills are shifting around their defensive line rotation.
The team cut ties with a big-bodied defensive tackle who spent part of last season on their practice squad, making room for a newly signed veteran. The Bills have made some more sweeping changes to their approach under new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, who is bringing a new scheme calling for bigger players who will create more sustained pressure.
Bills Say Goodbye to Tommy Akingbesote
The Bills announced this week that they waived Tommy Akingbesote, a seventh-round draft pick of the Dallas Cowboys last year who joined Buffalo’s practice squad in October. Though Akingbesote was not called up to the active roster at all, he signed a reserve/futures contract with the Bills in January and remained with the team through training camp and the first preseason game.
The former Maryland standout earned some buzz coming out of college, with NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein predicting he could grow into a productive NFL player with some seasoning.
“Akingbesote possesses the size, length and athleticism for consideration as an even-front three-technique or an odd-front defensive end,” Zierlein wrote. “He gets off the ball with adequate quickness and has the length to punch, separate and create opportunities. When heâs not first in, stronger guards tend to keep him under control. The sack production is lower, but tape flashes show there is meat on that bone. Akingbesote isnât ready for the pro game right now, but he has traits and developmental potential if a team is willing to invest the time.”
Bills Add New Defensive Lineman
The Bills used their newly opened roster spot to sign 30-year-old veteran Greg Gaines, a defensive lineman who spent the last three seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Gaines appeared in 17 games with four starts, making 23 total tackles with two sacks and three tackles for a loss.
The Bills are looking for more size in the middle of their defensive line under Leonhard’s 3-4 scheme. Gaines is a veteran of that scheme and played with Bills edge rusher Michael Hoecht on the Los Angeles Rams.
Reporter Chris Trapasso of SB Nation’s Buffalo Rumblings suggested that Gaines could be an important roster addition for a Bills team that lacked defensive line depth in recent seasons. He serve as a backup to budding star Deone Walker.
“And for as good as Walker may become as the man in the middle of the Bills defensive line in Year 2 and beyond, it was painfully obvious the 2026 iteration of this team was lacking in the depth department behind him,” Trapasso wrote.
“DeWayne Carter, a 2024 third-round pick, is returning from a torn Achilles in his second season and was drafted to be an upfield, one-gap disruptor. Even if heâs packed weight onto his 6â2â frame, heâs learning on the fly this summer in a new, blocking-eating, two-gapping role.”
The Bills have two more preseason games before needing to cut down to the 53-man roster.
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